Six weeks of star-studded rugby action gets underway this February as the 2021 Six Nations kicks-off at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
Rugby fans will be hoping it’s the action on the pitch rather than administrative mayhem off it that creates the major talking points in this year’s tournament.
Can England become the first team since 2017 to successfully defend the Six Nations?
Here’s our look at the early Six Nations outright betting…
SIX NATIONS BETTING | CAN ENGLAND WIN AGAIN?
England have been installed as overwhelming 111/100 favourites with Marathonbet to make it back-to-back triumphs… 🏉
Six Nations Tips | Team-By-Team Guide
ENGLAND
England had to play a patient waiting game to be crowned champions in 2020 due to the unforeseen disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Eddie Jones’ side eventually got their hands on the trophy on Halloween as the final round of games were postponed to the autumn. They had to wait until the very last minute to officially be rubber-stamped 2020 winners, with France’s 35-27 victory over Ireland on the final day not enough for the eventual runners-up to overhaul their rivals from across the channel.
Their status as tournament favourites is also down in no small part to their impressive form in the Autumn Nations Cup where they recorded resilient wins over three of their major Six Nations rivals in France, Ireland and Wales. This year’s fixture list has also been kind on Jones, with games against Scotland and Italy likely to play in England’s favour as they bid to build early momentum in the competition.
FRANCE
It’s now nearly a decade since France won a Six Nations, but they posted their best finish since 2011 last year in placing second and pushed England all the way in the Autumn Nations Cup final.
Fabien Galthié’s well-drilled XV could be the ones to watch if they can make some early running in this tournament, given they will likely be leading the way after the opening round of games should they manage a thumping win over perennial strugglers Italy.
Galthié has been forced to make some last-minute tweaks to his squad in the lead up to their opener with Thomas Ramos and Grégory Alldritt both withdrawn in recent days.
ITALY
Could this be the year poor old Italy finally avoid the Wooden Spoon?
Sadly, recent history suggests they will once again be gluttons for punishment.
A 34-5 rout by England on the final matchday last season consigned the Italians to a fifth consecutive year of being whitewashed, and in two of their fixtures (Wales and Scotland) they didn’t even manage to get a point on the board.
While speculation continues over their long-term future in this tournament, Franco Smith will be hoping home advantage in three of this year’s fixtures gives his side a chance of making at least one of their rivals sweat this time around.
All evidence suggests they’ll remain rooted to the bottom of the table as per usual, but it’s hard to see the Italians not making at least some baby steps forward given last year was a particular low point in their recent history.
IRELAND
A bright start for Andy Farrell in his maiden Six Nations campaign as Ireland head coach ultimately fizzled out as defeats to England and France ensured his side had to settle for third place.
That was probably about par for Farrell considering it was always likely to be a transitional year after the widely successful Joe Schmidt era. However, Irish ambitions will surely be higher in 2021 now the former England defence coach has had almost 12 months to put his ideas across.
A tricky trip to the Principality Stadium awaits the Irish in round one as their push for a first title in three years begins against Wales.
SCOTLAND
A fourth-place finish in 2020 didn’t really tell the full story for a Scotland side that now look more than capable of giving any side a game in the right mood.
Gregor Townsend’s side posted a statement of intent moving forward with tactically-astute wins over France and Wales, results that helped them on their way to 14 points – their best Six Nations haul since the bonus point system was introduced in 2017.
Townsend even managed to keep his side fully focused despite a major bust-up with star fly-half Finn Russell. The pair have now made their peace as Scotland look to make further progress in 2021.
WALES
Finally, Wales coach Wayne Pivac will be hoping his second Six Nations campaign is a marked improvement on his first, with the Welsh arguably the biggest underperformers of 2020.
The opening 42-0 victory over Italy was as good as it got, with four subsequent defeats leaving Welsh fans little to get excited about after being spoiled for success under former coach Warren Gatland.
Wales have now won just three competitive games out of 10 since Pivac took the reins in 2019. A convincing performance in their home opener at Ireland looks critical to his chances of winning over a sceptical Welsh public.
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